Hearing victims' voices : the asbestos story in the archive

This paper is developed from a keynote presentation to the Hazardous Heritage Conference, Antwerp, 23 to 24 October 2023. It aims to contribute to the ongoing conversation around toxic heritage in museums and archives. It focuses on the ways that the asbestos story has been archived and curated at the UK’s largest aggregation of asbestos-related archives at the Archives and Special Collections, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland. Particular attention is placed on the University’s asbestos-related oral history interviews and the potential of oral history as “intangible heritage.” The focus here is on the community behind the heritage. I discuss how the witness stories of workers exposed to asbestos, their family members and activists and advocacy groups help us to better understand the toxic heritage of asbestos and the impact of the asbestos disaster

Enhancing prosthetic vision by upgrade of a subretinal photovoltaic implant in situ

In patients with atrophic age-related macular degeneration, subretinal photovoltaic implant (PRIMA) provided visual acuity up to 20/440, matching its 100 µm pixels size. Next-generation implants with smaller pixels should significantly improve the acuity. This study in rats evaluates removal of a subretinal implant, replacement with a newer device, and the resulting grating acuity in-vivo. Six weeks after the initial implantation with planar and 3-dimensional devices, the retina was re-detached, and the devices were successfully removed. Histology demonstrated a preserved inner nuclear layer. Re-implantation of new devices into the same location demonstrated retinal re-attachment to a new implant. New devices with 22 µm pixels increased the grating acuity from the 100 µm capability of PRIMA implants to 28 µm, reaching the limit of natural resolution in rats. Reimplanted devices exhibited the same stimulation threshold as for the first implantation of the same implants in a control group. This study demonstrates the feasibility of safely upgrading the subretinal photovoltaic implants to improve prosthetic visual acuity. [Abstract copyright: © 2025. The Author(s).

Mind the age gap : expanding the age window for mRNA vaccine testing in mice

Background/Objectives: Murine models play a key role in guiding formulation and immunogenicity studies across various vaccine platforms, including mRNA-based vaccines. Typically, a narrow age range (6 to 8 weeks) is used in these studies. Here, we investigated whether widening this age range could provide greater flexibility in experimental design without impacting pre-clinical outcomes. Methods: To achieve this, we evaluated two commonly used lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations (based on SM102 and ALC-0315 ionizable lipids) containing either firefly luciferase or ovalbumin mRNA in female BALB/c mice aged 4, 8, and 16 weeks. LNPs were prepared and purified via microfluidics, and their size, polydispersity, zeta potential, and encapsulation efficiency were measured. Mice were injected intramuscularly, and the in vivo bioluminescence and antibody titers were measured to evaluate mRNA expression profiles and immunogenicity across the three age groups. Results: Our findings show that the 4-week-old mice exhibited higher protein expression following mRNA administration compared to the older groups; however, no significant differences were observed between the 8- and 16-week-old mice. Despite the initial higher protein expression, the antibody responses after the prime dose were lower in the 4-week-old mice compared to the other two groups. However, following the booster dose, antibody levels were comparable across all three age groups. Conclusions: By identifying a broader age range window, we provide greater flexibility in study design, enhance data comparability across studies, and promote more efficient use of animal resources, all while maintaining reliable and representative results in these murine models

Learning through comparison when studying evidence and policy

The aim of this special themed section is to demonstrate the conceptual and empirical contribution that comparative perspectives offer in advancing scholarship on the evidence-policy interplay. It is motivated by our sense that a lack of comparative analysis within this area of research risks conceptual confusion and contributes to limited engagement with the more political dimensions of evidence use. It brings together four papers which, between them: examine evidence use across different government ministries within the same country; provide a cross-national comparison of parliamentary institutions to support evidence use; explore variations in evaluation approaches within different national settings; and reflect on how perspectives on evidence shift when researchers become politicians, trying to navigate complex policy environments. We use this editorial to reflect on three cross-cutting themes that emerge from these four contributions. First, a tendency for dominant disciplines to shape evidence cultures in policy settings. Second, the complexity of policy making, which, in democracies, necessarily includes political dimensions. These two themes inform a third, the need for realism when working to support the use of evidence in policy. We conclude by arguing that this themed section highlights the contextual, divergent and contingent nature of evidence use in policy. By showcasing four contrasting approaches to comparative analysis of evidence use, we hope to encourage a desire to learn from, and reflect on, the insights provided by less familiar contexts and disciplines, while also underlining the necessity of considering the political and democratic dimensions of evidence use in policy

An approach to time series forecasting with derivative spike encoding and spiking neural networks

Timely and energy-efficient time series forecasting can play a key role on edge devices, where power requirements can be stringent. Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) are regarded as a new avenue in which to solve time series problems, but with lower SWaP (Size, Weight, and Power) needs. We propose an SNN pipeline to process and forecast time series, developing a novel data spike-encoding mechanism and two loss functions that optimise the prediction of the upcoming spikes. Our approach encodes a signal into sequences of spikes that approximate its derivative, preparing the data to be processed by the SNN, while our proposed loss functions account for the reconstruction of the output spikes into a meaningful value to promote convergence to top-level solutions. Results show that our solution can effectively learn from the encoded data and the SNN trained with our loss function can outperform the same model trained with SLAYER’s default loss

Ocean governance and the protection of ocean defenders

The rapid expansion of the ocean economy has triggered a wave of environmental injustices and human rights abuses worldwide, with often-marginalized coastal communities bearing the brunt of the fallout. Many communities and their allies are confronting these mounting pressures through advocacy and on-the-ground mobilization. This resistance is often met by harsh repression from corporations and governments. Recognizing, supporting, and protecting ocean defenders is thus essential for advancing environmental justice and human rights in sustainable ocean governance. This chapter outlines the main issues at stake and key avenues for further research, which include ocean governance by scrutinizing human rights and ocean defenders, as well as the experiences and protection for ocean defenders. The chapter also emphasizes that while diverse methodologies might be employed, a collaborative approach based on mutual trust can help to ensure the research reflects the concerns and aspirations of ocean defenders. Innovative knowledge co-production and ethical considerations should promote the co-creation of knowledge and guarantee the security and well-being of ocean defenders and their communities. Equally, attention needs to focus specifically on preventing discriminatory practices in these research endeavors. Translation of research findings and solidarity practices integrated into public policy and practice should be prioritized to ensure that ocean defenders benefit from greater agency and more effective protection

Optical wireless communications : enabling the next generation network of networks

Optical wireless communication (OWC) is a promising technology anticipated to play a key role in the next-generation network of networks (NoNs), especially as a complementary technology to traditional radio-frequency (RF) communications, for enhancing networking capabilities beyond conventional terrestrial networks. OWC is already a mature technology with diverse usage scenarios and can enable integrated applications via wireless access and backhaul networks, dynamic drone and satellite networks, underwater networks, inter- and intrasystem interconnecting networks, and vehicular communication networks. Furthermore, novel and emerging technological opportunities such as photovoltaic cells, orbital angular momentum-based modulation, optical reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, organic light-emitting and photo diodes, and recent advances in ultraviolet communications can help to enhance future OWC capabilities even further. Moreover, OWC networks can also support value-added services such as enhanced positioning and gesture recognition. Hence, OWC provides unique functionalities that can play a crucial role in building convergent and resilient future NoNs alongside RF and optical fiber technologies

LGBTQ Learning Framework Toolkit : Developing Affirmative Services in Adult Social Care

This toolkit expands on the LGBTQ+ learning framework, offering additional guidance and practical learning activities for organisations looking to initiate or strengthen their commitment to LGBTQ+ affirmative care. It features best-practice examples from organisations actively working in this space, showcasing how engagement with the learning framework is driving meaningful change. Designed to support organisations in demonstrating their commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion, the toolkit provides structured activities to help evidence how key services and operations meet the needs of LGBTQ+ people. Aligning activities with the learning framework can also support case audits, quality assurance exercises, and compliance with legal requirements during statutory regulation and inspections

Petfluencers, the fur-mula for sincere endorsements : examining how and when pets exhibit greater persuasion as influencers

The use of social media influencers (SMIs) is of growing interest to advertisers as well as researchers. Though, to date, much research focuses on human influencers. Increasingly, advertising agencies and brands are turning to animal influencers to promote brands. Given the rise of the ‘petfluencer’, the authors investigate factors which could lead pets to be more persuasive than humans, and if so, why. In four studies, including one field study and one laboratory experiment, this research supports that petfluencers (vs. human SMIs) can be more persuasive. These effects are driven by increased perceptions of sincerity associated with petfluencers. Additionally, the authors argue that petfluencers are more persuasive when the petfluencer’s message matches consumers’ mindset by being present- (vs. future-) oriented

Understanding patient and community members views regarding antimicrobial use : a scoping review

Introduction Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global threat. In 2019, AMR contributed to an estimated 4.95 million deaths with 1.27 million deaths attributed to AMR. It is influenced by factors including antibiotic usage and supply chain patterns, patient-provider dynamics, and community attitudes. Understanding patient views regarding the appropriate use of antibiotics for bacterial infections and inappropriately for viral infections, is crucial for addressing inappropriate antibiotic use and combating AMR. Africa experiences high death rates from AMR but there are little data or understanding of patient views especially in primary healthcare (PHC). This scoping review focused on PHC settings in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like South Africa. It aimed to identify key themes surrounding patient and community members views regarding antimicrobial use in PHC in LMICs. Methods The scoping review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines and included qualitative studies, close-ended questionnaires, and descriptive observational designs. The Covidence web-based platform was used for literature screening and data extraction including population characteristics, methods, tools and/or questionnaires used, and key findings and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) qualitative checklist was used for qualitative papers. Results The review identified several key themes related to: 1) patient factors including patient beliefs, expectations, knowledge and understanding, and perceptions of antibiotics, resistance and illness severity; satisfaction with and trust in healthcare providers and shared decision making and empowerment; community attitudes, perceptions and beliefs, and sociocultural factors; 2) provider factors including patient-provider relationship, healthcare utilisation and antibiotic prescribing provision and practices and healthcare delivery in PHC; 3) healthcare system factors including resource constraints and healthcare delivery, diagnostic tools and testing and technological advances and access to care, and 4) uptake, implementation, effectiveness and impact of educational interventions. Patients demonstrated varied levels of knowledge regarding infections and antibiotic resistance, influenced by factors such as migration, cultural background, and health literacy. Motivations for seeking antibiotics included cultural beliefs, family influences, and concerns about illness severity. Discussion Understanding patient and healthcare provider perspectives and understanding are crucial for designing effective interventions to combat AMR. This study emphasizes the need for enhancing antibiotic stewardship programs, addressing information needs, and considering population diversity and health literacy in educational interventions. Challenges related to resource scarcity and power dynamics within the healthcare system must also be considered, Conclusion Despite the growing awareness that a substantial portion of antibiotic consumption occurs within PHC settings, patients' roles in the use of antibiotics have often been overlooked. This review emphasizes the importance of understanding patient perspectives in LMICs regarding antibiotic use in PHC settings. The focus should be on implementing targeted interventions for both patients and providers to promote judicious antibiotic use and mitigate the global threat of AMR